END THE TOLLS

Why?

Tolls are unfair, unjust and infringe our free right to travel on roads which we have already paid for.

Tolls specifically disadvantage low and middle income earners and unfairly burden those people who have to use the toll ways, when others don’t have these extra fees. We’ve paid our share of registration and fuel taxes, so it is unfair that we are being singled out for EXTRA payments, simply because we live in Logan or other Southside suburbs of Brisbane.

Many people mistakenly think that we need tolls to raise the funds to build and maintain our roads and bridges. However, the fact is, we are already paying MORE than enough to build all the roads and bridges we need.

Do you realise that for every litre of fuel you buy, you currently pay 38 cents in excise duty, PLUS another 10% in GST - to the government. So for a litre of petrol selling at $1.60, you’re paying 54 cents in tax – that's more than a third of the cost! This is on top of the money we already pay for registration, licencing, and other fees!

According to the NRMA, of all this money raised – supposedly “for roads and infrastructure” – barely 25% is actually spent on roads - the rest goes into general revenue! So when they say there’s not enough money for roads – they are just LYING.

Now some people suggest that a ‘User-Pay’ System is Fairer – If You Use the Road, then You should Pay the Toll.

However that is ridiculous - if everyone only paid for the roads they drove on, we wouldn’t have a PUBLIC road network at all! The sensible idea – one that we have had since federation – is for everyone to pay, then we ALL get the benefit of being able to drive on our roads anywhere.

This is what being a COMMUNITY is about – people working together to share the costs so everyone benefits. It’s what we do with our Ambulance and Fire & Rescue services, and what we do with our public hospitals.

Just imagine if only those who called the Ambulance or Fire Brigade were the ones to pay for that service! It wouldn’t be much of a ‘service’ would it?

If Tolls are so necessary, Why was the Sunshine Coast Motorway Toll Scrapped?

The reason it was scrapped was pure and simple - PUBLIC PRESSURE. When we developed the political will and put enough pressure on government, they scrapped it.

WE CAN DO THE SAME WITH ALL TOLL ROADS IN QLD.

All we need is the political will, and to exert pressure on these self-serving politicians who keep mouthing the same tired old arguments about how necessary it is to pay tolls.